Chapter 197: Perilous Road (8)

The Little Divine Monk Gong-eop’s room was quiet.

What stood out most was the silence, settled low over the room like mist.

A small Buddha statue sat atop the table with its palms pressed together.

It wore a benevolent smile, even the wrinkles around its eyes seeming gentle.

“Please, sit here.”

The room was plain, without a single chair.

There was only a low dining tray, a few cushions, and neatly folded bedding nearby.

Considering Gong-eop’s title of “Little Divine Monk,” Soyak found his quarters almost excessively modest.

The room itself was not large.

A desk, a low dining tray large enough for two people, and bedding tucked into one corner—that was about all it contained.

It was not miserably cramped like the home of someone destitute, however, so the few pieces of furniture were spaced comfortably apart.

The most valuable thing in the room was probably...

The handful of tea leaves inside an old tea caddy.

Monks tended to be very fond of tea.

Perhaps all the more so because they could not drink alcohol.

Sure enough.

The moment Gong-eop opened the caddy, a fragrant, mellow aroma began spreading through the room even before hot water touched the leaves.

Without realizing it, Soyak half closed her eyes and savored the scent.

“...It smells wonderful.”

“It is a rare tea. The youngest leaves were picked only from the highest branches of a wild tea tree more than a thousand years old, then pan-fired.”

Tea from an ancient wild tree was certainly precious.

Soyak’s eyes widened.

These were not the sort of tea leaves one expected to find in a room this austere.

Of course, Soyak could hardly claim to possess any profound mastery of tea...

But she had tasted quite a few varieties as a child.

Her mother had loved tea.

“Thank you for bringing out something so precious.”

“I did not buy it myself. Shaolin has many monks, and among them are quite a few who are truly devoted to tea. They occasionally travel outside the monastery and bring back excellent leaves from all over. Thanks to them, people like me get to enjoy luxuries far beyond what we deserve.”

Gong-eop took the small kettle in one hand.

As he sent internal energy into it, the kettle began to heat.

It was a simple blazing yang art adapted from the Samadhi True Flame.

As a martial technique, it was little more than a minor trick.

For brewing tea, however, it was extremely useful.

“So... I was actually curious why Benefactor Soyak intends to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”

Gong-eop looked at Soyak as he slowly heated the water.

It was a reasonable question.

Because...

At her current cultivation, she would win no matter who stepped onto the tournament stage against her.

She was effectively guaranteed first place, and frankly, she had already surpassed the realm of young talents altogether.

So why enter the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?

At middle-stage Transformation Realm, it was difficult to find anyone capable of opposing her even if one searched the entire Central Plains.

How many people had reached a similar level?

There were none among the known masters.

Even gathering every unknown master hidden from the world, would there be as many as ten?

So was there any point in someone like Soyak entering the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering merely to gain “fame as a young talent”?

Especially now, when word that she had killed Ak Jupae, the Flame-Saber Lord, with a single stroke was already spreading throughout the Central Plains.

To Gong-eop, it seemed unnecessary.

Meaningless.

And he was the sort of man who disliked using the martial arts he possessed for unnecessary, meaningless purposes.

Of course, if Soyak refused to change her mind about participating...

If she truly wished to claim that fame, he would not keep trying to stop her.

But in Gong-eop’s eyes, Soyak was rational and free of vanity.

Even at the age of fourteen, she had already carried herself with the maturity of a fully formed martial artist.

That was precisely why he was trying to persuade her.

Someone who had already stepped outside the framework of “young talent” had neither reason nor need to intrude upon the friendly competition of those still within it.

She was already someone who had no need for that kind of reputation...

So what meaning could there be in throwing herself into the same contest as people who desperately longed for every scrap of recognition it might bring?

Soyak understood the meaning behind Gong-eop’s question as well.

But she could not tell him the truth.

She could hardly confess that she intended to kill the Sword Sovereign, reject the Martial Alliance as it now existed, and tear everything down.

“The reason I am entering the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering...”

“Yes. In truth, you have no need for the reputation it would bring you, do you?”

“...Perhaps I do not.”

Soyak admitted it without resistance.

She did not want to lie to Gong-eop.

He was likely the reason Seol Yegang and Seol Yehwa had been allowed to remain under Shaolin’s protection all this time.

It was true that Soyak had once saved one of his young disciples...

But deceiving a kind person with whom she already shared a bond sat poorly with her conscience.

“But I have another reason.”

“Another reason?”

“I am sorry. It is somewhat difficult for me to speak about. But... it is not because of empty ambition or a desire for fame. I can promise you that.”

Gong-eop stared quietly at Soyak.

At her pitch-black eyes.

He considered her words for a moment, then smiled and poured the now-boiling water into the teapot containing the leaves.

“I understand your heart, Benefactor Soyak. It seems there are complicated circumstances involved. Circumstances you cannot easily tell me about...”

“...I would appreciate it if you thought of it that way.”

“As a Buddhist, it would hardly be proper for me to keep prying into matters you do not wish to discuss. But I will believe you. I do not think you are someone who would act out of... such empty ambition or a hunger for fame.”

Gong-eop spoke with a slow nod.

Only then did Soyak let out a relieved breath.

Seeing that, Gong-eop smiled softly and lifted the cup of freshly steeped tea.

“Have a sip. And spend tonight comfortably here on Mount Song. I will let them know that you are staying. We always keep rooms available for guests.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Soyak dipped her head lightly in thanks and lifted her cup.

Just the warmth of the cup in her hands improved her mood.

Perhaps it was the soft, deep aroma tickling her nose, but the tension gradually left her body, bringing a sense of calm.

When she took a sip, a faint sweetness followed the gentle bitterness that wrapped around her tongue.

It truly tasted like a precious tea.

When the lid of the teapot was opened to add more hot water, a honey-like sweetness drifted out.

What tea drinkers often called a honey fragrance.

It was an aroma commonly found in black and white teas.

“...The fragrance is very mellow.”

“It is a rare tea, after all. Even I save this one and drink it sparingly.”

Gong-eop smiled as he made the joke.

Given his personality, he was hardly the sort to hoard something just because it was expensive.

Whether it was cheap green tea roasted until it was nearly dry enough to crumble, tea from a precious ancient wild tree, or an expensive black tea, he probably would not care.

And if he truly treasured this tea that much, he would not have left it sitting on an old low dining tray in the first place.

“You are quite good at joking, Gong-eop.”

“Was it that obvious? You have always been perceptive, Benefactor.”

Gong-eop chuckled and slowly drank the rest of his tea.

Soyak had already emptied her cup.

Tea leaves, of course, were not usually steeped only once.

Depending on the tea, one might steep them as few as three or four times or as many as six or seven.

Which meant they still had plenty of time to talk.

Gong-eop poured the properly steeped tea from the pot into both cups once more.

Measuring exactly enough water for two cups directly into the kettle was surprisingly difficult.

It was not the sort of skill that could be explained by profound martial arts or a lofty cultivation realm...

It was simply the instinct of someone who had drunk tea often, for many years.

“You drink tea quite frequently, I take it.”

“Since I cannot drink alcohol, tea is what I turn to instead. What about you, Benefactor? Which do you prefer, tea or alcohol?”

Soyak considered the question.

There were, of course, many excellent wines and liquors in the world.

But Soyak was still only seventeen.

“...Isn’t tea less bitter?”

“It is. Though when I speak with people who enjoy alcohol, they tell me liquor has its own depth and fragrance.”

“For some reason, it sounds as though you are encouraging me to drink.”

“Surely I would never do such a thing.”

Gong-eop smiled at Soyak’s joke and emptied his cup.

Soyak slowly finished the tea remaining in hers and set the cup down.

*****

The room Shaolin gave Soyak was, surprisingly, larger than Gong-eop’s.

It even had a bed, along with a desk and chair.

What surprised her most, however, was the silk cloth hung over the wooden shutters.

“...Gong-eop?”

Soyak quietly turned toward the monk who had shown her here.

Meeting the look Soyak gave him, Gong-eop smiled somewhat awkwardly.

Then he shrugged.

“Just because we choose to live simply does not mean we can force guests who have not entered the Buddhist order to live in the same discomfort and austerity.”

“I understand that, but...”